Caring for others!

The day dawned fine but not too hot which was a pleasant surprise given the forecast.

We walked to the "Gare" to book tickets for a return train to Lyon on Monday to have a look around that city which is 138 road kms south of Beaune

The journey takes 1hr 44mins and the cost is a rather reasonable €40.80 each for the return trip

After obtaining some information from the Tourist Centre and a lunch in town we visited the Hotel-Dieu Des Hospices Civils de Beaune

The "Hospices" as it is commonly called was established in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin and his wife Guigone de Salins as a hospital for the poor which up until 1971 has been in constant use before moving to new premises leaving the Grande Salle des Povres, a lavishly decorated Paupers Ward with Gothic chapel, available for visitors

The Hospices were classified as a historic monument in 1862 and today is a rather interesting museum depicting how a hospital was run in the 15th century

In various areas of the complex are some quite breathtaking tapestries not the least being "Le Polyplyque du Jugement demier" dating back to the time the hospital was erected.

Because of generous benefactors over the centuries the Hospices have been able to develop a 63 hectare vineyard which enables it to hold annually the world's most famous wine auction on the third Sunday of November

The wine is sold in barrels and is not cheap!

After leaving the Hospices we then walked a couple of sections of the ramparts that encircle this walled inner city though it has to be said that it was not as interesting as the walls around York though we did see this rather unique "security device" designed to stop crims scaling a wall to gain entry

Here is a question for our Mr Key. If NZ is such an efficient dairy producer how is it that in France we can buy a litre of milk for €0.74 (i.e. $NZ1.22) when our "budget" milk sells in NZ for approx. $3.50 for 2 litres?

Also if we get sold the line that we need to pay export prices internally, if milk here is approx. $2.45 per 2 litres why are we not being asked to pay around that figure in NZ?

 

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